


Silence Must Be Heard

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Stephen Strange Bingo Collection [4]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff and Crack, Light Angst, M/M, Secret Marriage, Stephen Strange Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 02:02:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18561703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: Tony has been wearing a wedding ring since forever. So long, in fact, that nobody ever questions the lack of a spouse on his side anymore and just teases him for having it.





	Silence Must Be Heard

**Author's Note:**

> This lovely prompt found its way to me:  
>  _Prompt : Tony and Stephen met as students and got married right after graduation. They decided against a traditional marriage life to pursue their careers. Tony never told anybody of him and everybody thinks its just a fake ring on his hand and he's just playing. So how are the reactions of the avengers after they realised that the mysterious wife of Tony isn't a wife at all but a sorcerer supreme called Stephen?_
> 
> And just like Tony I'm going to be not quite truthful and use this as my fill for the prompt "Fake Marriage" on my @stephenstrangebingo card. It's a fake marriage of nobody believes in it, right?

"And what would the wife be saying to that?" 

Nat's tone was teasing, but Tony wasn't in the mood to play. He knew exactly what 'the wife' would say to him right now - and what Stephen would do if their roles were reversed. 

"Shut up and leave me alone."

"Ahh, someone's going to sleep on the couch today!" Even Rhodey joined in the teasing. By Tony's request, granted, but still…

Tony would sleep on the couch today, actually, because Stephen had been away for almost two weeks by now and the thought of spending the night alone in their big bed was horrifying. Tony let his eyes wander to the ring on his finger - pretty much everyone thought that it was fake, an eccentricity of Tony Stark. Why wear a wedding ring when there never had been a spouse? The speculation had been going on for so long that nobody ever talked about it anymore except for harmless teasing.

Never, in over two decades, had anybody ever thought that he might be married for real. Or at least as real as had been possible back then because his 'wife' was in fact a gorgeous man. Which spoke volumes about how he was perceived by the public, let alone his teammates. The few in the know - his real family - respected their request to keep silent, even though it was hard. Especially now with Stephen's new responsibilities that called him away from home more and more often.

"Tony?" Rhodey's concerned voice brought him out of his thoughts and to his surprise he had to realize that they were alone. "Everything okay?"

Tony shook his head. Nothing was okay.

"Is he still gone?" A nod. "Fuck. No wonder you… Sorry." Rhodey came over and sat down beside home. "I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have…"

Tony tried his public appearance smile on. It felt as fake was it was. "It's okay. I just… miss him."

Neither spoke after that. Especially about the 'What if's' haunting both their minds. But Rhodey stayed over to keep him company on the couch. It was something.

*

Years later, when the dust had settled for the second time - this time around Thanos and nobody else - everyone was too occupied with being reunited with their lost ones to witness the heartfelt reunion between Tony and Stephen. None of the other Avengers saw how desperately Tony clung to the sorcerer and how the man clung back with what little strength he could muster.

Nobody except Peter. Who saw the embrace and suddenly made a connection between the ring on Tony's hand and the ring he'd glimpsed hanging around the wizard Doctor's neck. So he decided to hang back and let them hug it out. He could get his own hug from Mr. Stark a little bit later.

When his aunt asked him what was so funny he answered that he was just happy to be back. He was, really, but he was also happy that Mr. Stark had someone.

*

"Come on, Tony, it's time, don't you think?" Nat.

"Time for what?" he asked, not really having followed the conversation flowing around him. He was too preoccupied with his tablet and the text Stephen had sent over along with a request to help him decipher the long dead and/or possible extraterrestrial language.

"Give up the charade." That was Sam. Nice, they we're teaming up against him now and he had no idea why.

"Yes, Tony. Confess." Bruce.

"What charade?"

"Hey, guys, we should…" Bless Rhodey for trying to intervene and just like that Tony knew what this was about. A moment later Nat made some gesture towards his ring; thankfully she was too weary about his repulsors to try to touch it.

 _Fuck it_ , he decided. He was sick of it. All the reasons to keep it quiet had been valid thirty years ago, but by now it was just habit. He held up his left hand and let the light glint off the silver gold band around his ring finger. "This little thing?" he asked he smirked when the attention of the whole room was suddenly on his hand. "Is, as you might know, a wedding ring." 

Groans filled the room and Tony's smirk grew.

"Which means that I'm married. Have been, very happily, since I was twenty-three in fact." 

"With whom? Yourself?" Steve threw in and Tony gave him a dirty look.

"No, with the only person who can match my wit and intelligence. Who is also very beautiful and I'm lucky enough that they think the same."

"You didn't know Pepper back then. Also, she's too young," Bruce interjected and received a punch in the arm from Rhodey for that. Tony snorted. He loved Pepper, he really did, in a purely platonic sense.

Instead of answering Tony tapped his tablet. _Love? You mind coming over? The others don't believe me that I'm married to you._

The answer came as fast as speech-to-text could process it. _Time to give up the charade?_

Tony sent a simple _yes_ back.

"He'll be over in a moment," he announced and had barely enough time to see the various reactions of his teammates trying to process the 'he' before a portal flared to life and Stephen stepped through.

"You've called, my dear?" Stephen laid it on thick with the saccharine tone of his voice and Tony batted his eyes at him.

"They don't believe me that I managed to get married to someone else but myself." 

Stephen, 'casually' playing with the twin to Tony's ring that hung around his neck, shrugged. "We still don't know if it was really legally binding, you know," he said. "Maybe we've been living a lie and only _think_ that we've been married since we've graduated."

"Me going down to my knees right after your graduation ceremony and begging you marry me was just a fever dream? Even if, the official thing we did five years ago makes it legal in retrospect." 

"Maybe. I don't know if it's valid in other dimensions."

Tony laughed. "If not, I'll make sure it becomes so now. Come here, I've got something for you." Stephen floated over and settled down beside him with a graceful gesture and had his head pillowed on Tony's shoulder only a second later while Tony took his right hand and stroked it soothingly. Their movements were pure instinct born out of long familiarity and there was no way that they were acted. 

Rhodey smiled at finally seeing his friends cuddling and being themselves while the rest of the Avengers stared in pure shock. It took a moment before it dawned on them that nobody had won the bet. Most of them had voted for Tony's 'wife' being a myth while only Bruce and Nat had even entertained the idea that she might be real. Rhodey, citing an unfair advantage, hadn't placed one and had resisted each and every attempt at bribery to get him to spill the secret.

"They fit well together," Steve said after a couple minutes of stunned silence.

Rhodey nodded. "Have been since forever. You should have seen them when they were young and freshly in love. You can't even imagine how disgustingly cute they were together."

"They still are," Steve said, trying to rearrange the last few years and his view of Tony in light of the new information. Had he ever seen smile Tony so happily? He'd never had much contact with the Sorcerer Supreme but the arrogant, distant man he'd met a few times had no trace of resemblance with the softly smiling man cuddled up to Tony like a big cat. Even his magical cape had draped itself around them both.

On the couch Tony showed off something with excitement and Stephen looked at him with so much love that every last shadow of doubt was extinguished.

They all looked at each other and decided to leave the two of them alone for the time being. Silently they relocated to the kitchen, ready to hash out who might have come closest in winning the bet.

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit of light fun is exactly what we need right now, a few hours before Avengers: Endgame arrives and destroys as all, right? Thanks for reading!  
> 💝  
> [Tumblr](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/184368621696/prompt-tony-and-stephen-met-as-students-and-got) | [Bingo Card(s)](https://whenthesunburnsout.tumblr.com)


End file.
